The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) is planning to support an Integrated Ecosystem Research Plan (IERP) in the Gulf of Alaska. The goal of the IERP is to gain a comprehensive understanding of an integrated ecosystem in order to improve management’s ability to forecast and respond to changing environmental conditions in the Gulf of Alaska.

GLOBEC is jointly sponsored by NCCOS and the National Science Foundation. It had an active field program in the area from 2000-2005, and is currently synthesizing research findings. Several scientists supported by GLOBEC also provided insights about the ecosystem derived from their research.

The scientific findings and program implementation advice from GLOBEC serve as an example for the IERP and contribute to ongoing ecosystem research in Alaska.